This amended competitive renewal application for continuation of a training program in musculoskeletal biology involves 18 training faculty at the University of Minnesota. The goals of this five-year renewal application are to: 1. Train 4 predoctoral fellows and 1 postdoctoral fellow for research careers as basic scientists or clinical investigators studying the causes, treatments, and response to therapy of musculoskeletal diseases. 2. Continue an educational environment for students, post-docs, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty encompassing a modern spectrum of research in musculoskeletal diseases, including basic discovery, investigation of musculoskeletal disease models, and study of clinical and translational outcomes of standard treatments. In the past five years, the University of Minnesota has invested considerable resources in the retention and recruitment of numerous talented, energetic and collaborative investigators interested in musculoskeletal biology. The training grant thus boasts a group of highly qualified research mentors in state-of-the-art research environments and provides an ideal modern setting for training and stimulating young research scientists. The research strengths of the institution are reflected in this application, which is divided into the areas of Musculoskeletal Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Biology, and Musculoskeletal Development. Support is requested for five positions (4 predoctoral and 1 postdoctoral) for each year. Predoctoral trainees eligible for this training program will be accepted into one of 14 existing degree or combined degree graduate programs that involve the training faculty. Postdoctoral fellows will be recruited by individual mentors and through the residency programs of the Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery and the College of Veterinary Medicine. The training program will be integrated and enriched by a program of seminars, journal clubs and joint group meetings. The primary goals of the program are to attract exceptional young scientists in the field of musculoskeletal biology and to assist their intellectual and technical development into productive and independent investigators interested in the mechanisms and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases.